Gametes In Love

We went to a b-day party yesterday, and feeling the liberty of 13w and the fact that most of our friends know we’re expecting, I wore a very belly-hugging shirt.

While I was following G run around like a mad-toddler, S was chatting it up with his b-school friends (sharing our news with those still in the dark). Later as I approached their group, friend N says:

“A, I see you need to lay off those chips”

My simple response was “Yeah, I agree, but with any luck in about 7 months, I’ll end up delivering a 6lb bag of potato chips”

N’s wife, however, was away while N got the scoop from S that we are expecting. To me, I look pregnant, but I think I’m at that stage where people are just afraid to ask. Horrified that her husband was getting so lippy, her jaw just about dropped. Thankfully after she heard my response, she relaxed. She said she was ready to smack him, or at the very least run away from the group so that she didn’t have to be associated with the embarrassment he was raining on himself. So lesson to the guys out there: if you’re in on knowing that someone is pregnant and want to make light of the situation, share it with your significant other first. Otherwise you risk getting their shoe fitted in your mouth 🙂

I kept the joke on for the rest of the party and as people asked if we knew what we were having, I responded “Not yet, but I hope it’s a bag of Kettle Salt & Vinegar”.

Now… onto G.

This party had a petting zoo. Although it took him 2-3 entries into the animal enclosure G LOVED it. They had little goats, a pink-bellied pig, bunnies, chickens and ducks. He was all over them, and really enjoyed the bunnies and the goats. I wish I had pictures to illustrate this to you, but in my “get out of the house” state, I replaced my dying camera battery with a fully dead one 🙂 Nothing better than pulling out your camera only to find out you can’t even turn it on. Sure made a nice weight for my diaper bag though.

G also greatly enjoyed the sand box. At daycare there isn’t a sandbox in the toddler/infant play area. Also given that we live in, what I swear is, a wind-tunnel, any sand left loose in our yard could only end up giving us a fine reproduction of the movie The Mummy. As such, R’s party was a bit of a treat for him. I think, he bonded with the sand particles as he took it upon himself to lead mission “Liberate Sand” and tried to evacuate as much of the sand from said box onto the mulch around it (pretty much now making it unrecoverable). This is where Mom buries her head in her hands and profusely apologizes to the owners of said home/sandbox.

Either way, a fun time was had by all.

How far along: 13w
Weight: 126.8lb.
Sleep: Pretty good
Gender: We find out in July!!! Or at least we hope this one will cooperate enough to let us find out.
Movement: None yet, but I think in another few weeks we’ll be getting some baby bubbles
Feeling: So-so. More good days than bad days, which I’m thankful for
What I am looking forward to: Telling work this week. Above anything else, it means I don’t have to wear the same 5 outfits anymore 🙂
Weekly Wisdom: Toddler climbing on preggie belly doesn’t feel good
Milestones: End of the first trimester baby! I don’t know of a better milestone than that. My manager and I also discussed my time off. I’ll be out of office from 11/8-3/28. Pretty excited on that one.
Food cravings: I’m getting into my fruit craving phase. Right now melon sounds good. Also, still in a meat aversion phase. Anything that is not chopped up beyond recognition just makes my stomach churn. What do you want to bet this kid will be A+ blood type?
Best moment this week: Seeing the wee one during the NT scan. Also, sneaking up on it with the doppler at home. I got it… for a whopping second before it swam off to non-doppler detectable land.
Fetal development:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby’s tiny fingertips, its veins and organs are clearly visible through its still-thin skin, and its body is starting to catch up with its head — which makes up just a third of its body size now. If we’re having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Remember the other week when I posted about not being able to hear the baby’s heart-bean on my doppler, and my OB not being able to find it (and me freaking out about it?) There could be a good explanation for this. My placenta was noted as wrapping to the anterior on the NT scan today. Apparently with an anterior placenta, you can have a harder time feeling baby move and hearing their heart.

Huh — now I know.

Today was my NT scan and I’m happy to say that things are looking good.

The fluid between the skin and neck measured at 1.6mm pretty consistently, and the kid was 2 confirmed arms and legs. The brain lobes were also forming properly, and my cervix and uterus look good.

The risk of Down’s syndrome are 1/23,000 if you go by the age I was during conception and 1/18,000 at my current maternal age. Trisomy 18 risks at 1/100,000 in each age scenario. The State is required to get both sets of numbers. Honestly, unless I am way off on understanding genetics, I really don’t get how my current age will impact genetic sequencing, but either way — the risks in each of Downs and Trisomy 18 are very, very low. Of course, I need to go back in a few weeks for my second blood screen to confirm.

And here are some photos from today.

A few moments later there was some thumb sucking action

Here are some 3D views. Much like G, this one likes to hide his/her face, so in each of the 3D images you’ll observe some nice peek-a-boo action.

The big excitement of today’s appointment was getting out of the building. As we walked past the elevators, I saw one of my former managers sitting there reading on his iPhone. Poop! Said manager, while no longer with my company, can still easily get news to my team that I’ve got a bun in the oven. And while I’m planning on telling everyone next week, I just want it to be my news to share and I wasn’t really interested in talking to him about it just yet. So S and I tried to find an alternate exit to downstairs. Since we couldn’t find it, we tried to devise a way for me to sneak into the elevator without being noticed. Needless to say it didn’t work. I got caught and called out. I used a cover story of seeing an attorney who worked across the hallway from the Dr. office and focused the conversation on him as much as possible. S still doesn’t get why I lied, and while it doesn’t really make sense, as I said — it’s my call who I get to share my news with and who I don’t.

I go back in a few weeks for the second portion of the blood screening and in July for the anatomical scan. If I see him again (possible, since he WAS there for the same office I just came out of), then I get tell him all about our big news. Better yet, I won’t have to — it will be quite obvious. Ha!

… to quote the memorable Adam Sandler.

I received a note from the clinic that will be performing my NT scan tomorrow. It was a very pleasant, informative letter on the genetic testing that will be performed, how and when it will all be done, etc. All is well and good, until I read this line: “this screen provides individualized information about your baby’s risk of Down syndrome by combining your age, results ….” Wait a minute!!!

My age??? My age when? Now, or when this baby was conceived?

So I called the number at the bottom of the letter, which encouraged me to call should I have any questions. My conversation went something like this:

Me: Yes, I was calling to ask for more information on the genetic screening. You indicated that maternal age is a risk factor. Is that current maternal age, or the maternal age when the child was conceived? Because my child was conceived 2.5 years ago!

Her: Uhmn…. let me have you talk to one of our nurses.

Yeah, I’m sure there was some head scratching going on. Ensue conversation on fertility treatments, and being transferred over to a nurse.

Here’s the part that got me. The nurse asked “Well, did you tell us that you had a donor egg?”

Me: No. We didn’t use a donor. It was my egg.

Nurse: Well, the donor question also applies to embryos used in frozen cycles too.

REALLY? Well then frikkin’ say so, because when the phlebotomist took my blood and asked me about using a donor she was oblivious to other applications of that question. As was I — the scope of the question is pretty darn narrow. I responded “No.” (since it WAS my egg & S’ soldiers), but that we did go through IVF. No further questions were asked. No “Did you use previously frozen eggs, sperm or embryos?” Nothing.

So tomorrow when we get our preliminary results we’ll need them to re-run the calculation with my adjusted age. Also that they’ll need to inform the state of the change.

Fun stuff!

I’m looking forward to the scan though. Wish us (and most importantly the wee one) a healthy bill o’health.

I’m not an actively vengeful person, but I think there is something to be said about pregnancy hormones and associated rage.

Now when someone makes me mad it makes me want to sneak some iron supplements in their drink: so they can get backed up for a few days. It’s just a “little evil”, and a pregnancy joy I’m happy to have someone else experience… esp. if they’re of the male persuasion.

Please note that I would NEVER tamper with anyone’s food, drink, employ, or mode of transportation. However, in my hormonal pregnancy fantasies I sure want to.

How far along: 12w
Weight: me = 126.2; baby = 1/2 oz
Baby size: 2″ tall
Sleep: Pretty decent actually. Still welcoming a nap in the middle of the day whenever possible
Movement: Nada
Feeling: You know? Overall? Good! I haven’t thrown up since last Sun evening, and even though I’ve had moments of feeling queasy, still my best week since the yickies started. I’m hoping this will be a continually improving trend.
What I miss: Nothing right now. I’m feeling pretty good.
What I am looking forward to: Coming out at work. One more week until we do that though.
Food cravings: I fought the pickles… and the pickles won. Yes, hardy har har. Pregnant woman and her pickle. Laugh it up!
Fetal development:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. The baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, its toes will curl, its eye muscles will clench, and its mouth will make sucking movements. Its intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into its abdominal cavity about now, and its kidneys will begin excreting urine into its bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in the baby’s brain, synapses are forming furiously. Its face looks unquestionably human: its eyes have moved from the sides to the front of its head, and its ears are right where they should be.

I had my first appointment with my regular OB Thursday. I’ve been looking forward to it, and nervous at the same time.

Nervous because I haven’t been able to pick up the heart-beat of the wee-one through my doppler all week. I was going to post that I had found it last Thursday (which I swear to you I did), but then when I tried again on Sunday there was nothing. There was nothing on Monday, or Tuesday either. I tried to comfort myself by thinking “well, it really IS too soon”, “Most people  even at 10w don’t hear the heart-beat”, “I’m still nauseous as hell” but the reality is that I was scared. What if the baby had stopped growing? What if my body didn’t miscarry because of the progesterone and was tricked into thinking I was still pregnant.

At today’s appointment Dr. M finished my exam, and even exclaimed how big my uterus was, for where I should be in pregnancy right now. She broke out her doppler almost excited to use it. And then we stood around in the room waiting. And waiting. And waiting. She navigated that wand across my belly and got nothing but my heart-beat. Her face looked confused. It felt like forever and I was ready to scream out “Get the u/s RIGHT NOW!!!!”. Tears were forming down my throat, but the u/s she did get.

When it went in, all that you could see was an empty half moon shape. Then she pushed in further and there it was — the kiddo, with a heart-beat flickering away. It had pushed up against the corner of my uterus. It was either snuggling up (like G snuggles up against the edge of his crib) or purposefully hiding. Dr. M said “You’ve got a baby in there!” (at which point in time, by the way, those tears DID run down my face).

And then, just like that the kid began to do flips. I’m not joking. It mooned us a few times, waved his arms and legs. Dr. M laughed. I guess she doesn’t get these kind of performances too often. And now here I am thinking “Why does this child play pranks on me already?” A whole week of no heart-beat, only to get a “Psych! Gotcha” wave in the end. Ugh, I hope this is not a preview of things to come.

But, the good news is, all is on track. I’m actually measuring at 11w already. Not too far off since I’m 10w4d today.

I got a refill on my anti-sick meds too. Since the end of morning sickness is no-where in sight, and my current prescription ran out, I’m now setup for another few weeks.

Our trip to Bulgaria and their measles epidemic is also nothing we can do anything about. I was inoculated as a child, and even though I’ve been inoculated, I haven’t gotten a booster in the past 10 years. There’s nothing they can really do now. Yes, I could do an antibody check for it, but to be honest, at this point I’d rather not know all the nasties I could be exposed to.

Also, delivery wise, I’m still leaning c-section. Although I haven’t formally made up my mind on this, Dr. M started off delivery conversations with c/s. I asked her if there was a reason why I might not be a good candidate for a VBAC, but didn’t really get an answer. Ultimately S and I interpreted something different in her response. It’s something we’ll revisit again, but for now, tentative plan is c/s. We’ll schedule the surgery for 11/22 (day after my EDD), with the hope that I go into labor on my own. Instead of waiting for dilation, however, I’ll just head for the hospital, get fitted into a gown and proceed to surgery. This way baby gets to bake in as long as it plans to, and it still gets to choose it’s birthday 🙂

I leave you with a bunch of photos Dr. M took while trying to chase the kid around. Enjoy!

(oh and bottom right — that’s a baby butt giving you a full moon. PS don’t get excited about the in-between the leg shot — that’s just the umbillical chord)

How far along: 11w
Weight: me = I refuse to weigh myself for another week after the indulgent week-end I’ve had. But on Wed I was 126.6lb.
Baby size: Just over 1.5″ (Wow it’s grown a lot in the last month!)
Sleep: Good. I’ve even had a few nights I haven’t had to wake-up to pee.
Gender: No news
Movement: Nothing as of now.
Feeling: Still gross, but I’ve had a few days without alms to the pukie gods. I’m hoping this will become a trend.
What I miss: Wine. After watching my friends do wine tastings this week-end, I realized how much I’d love to have some too. The got me some faux sparkling wine (aka sparkling grape juice) though, which was very sweet!
What I am looking forward to: More days of feeling good.
Weekly Wisdom: If you give a phlebotomist a lab form they’ll take out 5 vials of blood.
Food cravings: I had a craving for a pickle the other day. No, I’m not making a pregnancy funny.
Fetal development:
The baby’s hands will soon open and close into fists, and tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under its gums. Some of its bones are beginning to harden.
It’s already busy kicking and stretching (and flipping and mooning), and its tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as its body grows and becomes more developed and functional.

How far along: 10w
Weight: me = 126.2
Baby size: a little over 1″ long and weighs a little under 1/4oz
Sleep: I’m already waking up nightly to pee once a night. With G this didn’t happen until the first trimester, which is making me wonder if come this third trimester I’ll spend more time sleeping while peeing than in my bed
Movement: None yet
Feeling: I had a cold last week. It normally wouldn’t se so bad, except that it came with a crappy caugh. Caughing lead to gaggin and gagging — well it decided to show off my breakfast.
What I miss: Eating like a normal person. I’ve turned into an extremely finiky eater. One moment I want X, the next the idea of it makes me want to hurl.
What I am looking forward to: Another baby u/s this week
Milestone: As of today I’m off the progesterone suppositories. Hellz yeah!
Weekly Wisdom: Bedtime by 9:30 nightly feels pretty darn good.
Food cravings: None really
Fetal development:
The baby has now completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in its body rapidly grow and mature.

It’s swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including its kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they’ll continue to develop throughout my pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside the womb, you’d spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Its limbs can bend now. Its hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over its heart, and its feet may be long enough to meet in front of its body. The outline of its spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from its spinal cord. Its forehead temporarily bulges with its developing brain and sits very high on its head, which measures half the length of its body. From crown to rump, he’s about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, the baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

I had my second “labor” dream tonight. I should rather say nightmare because it was very unpleasant. With both of my labor dreams I ended up w/ another c-section. I don’t know if this is my subconscious speaking, but this last one was certainly not a c-section by choice. It was not good! I won’t go into the details (call it superstition), but let’s just say that this is not a birth option I’m considering. At least it had a happy ending and we took a healthy baby home.

A healthy BOY baby might I add. I had my first gender dream around this time with G. While it was a lot more confusing (winged pet lions for Halloween, really?) it was right on. Let’s see if this dream will be correct too… or if I’ll have some other dreams to change my opinion.

Anyway, back to sleep for me. Night, night!